Thanks to the newly-enacted GI Bill, Lampley moved to New York City in 1946 to pursue his education at the Juilliard School of Music1. Assigned to the classes of Irwin Freundlich (piano) and Richard Franko Goldman (composition) - whom he credited for having “freed his mind musically”2 - he was to graduate three years later with an Artist Diploma in piano. In addition to his classical studies, he also sought the instruction of Stan Kenton’s musical director/arranger, William Russo3, whom he would later assist at the Peabody Conservatory. Although he most probably had to support himself through other means besides playing music - which also implied reducing expenses and rooming with clarinetist Alfred D Kohler and actor Richard Kiley - he was nevertheless to reach the zenith of his career as a concert pianist on March 30, 1951. That day, the doors of the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City were opened to him. Lampley had just turned twenty-seven4.

The “strenuous program,” as it was dubbed in the Musical Courier’s review5, called for Lampley to play the first NY performance of Goldman’s Aubades in addition to a hearty collection of pieces that included Fantaisies by both Telemann and Karl Phillip Emanuel Bach, Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.16 in B-flat Major K.570, Mendelssohn’s Variations Sérieuses Op.54, Schumann’s Kinderszenen Op.15, Norman Dello Joio’s Suite for Piano (1940) , as well as works by Brahms and Debussy. A strenuous program indeed. Critic Herbert Livingston described the Goldman piece:

“These four short pieces - an andante in pastorale style, a twelve measure allegretto with a running melodic line, a moody adagio with a melody in parallel thirds, and a presto in two-voice texture - are traditional in form, rhythm and melodic content. The sonorities are familiar from the works of the polytonalists. (...) The music is thoroughly accessible both to performer and listener. The thematic material, however, lacks distinction and the treatment is not particularly imaginative.”6

Conversely, the Schumann and the Mozart all but lack distinction. A multipartite piece consisting of thirteen varied themes, Schumann’s Kinderszenen jumps through a myriad of different moods and sceneries. And the lively spirit of the first and last movements of Mozart’s Sonata bear all the elements one may attribute to Lampley’s own personality7. Finally, Debussy’s impressionist style bring a welcomed contrast to Telemann and Brahms’ classicism.

Considering both the level and breadth of interpretative skills required to perform these canons of the pianistic literature, it is all the more surprising to note that he not only mastered the repertoire in roughly seven years, but that he catered to his career as a concertist while simultaneously working full-time as a music/tape editor at Masterworks. That said, Lampley did build his artistry on the foundation of a superior pianistic lineage. That lineage - which goes back to Leschetizsky and Gabrilowitsch, Schnabel and the Lawsons (father R.A. Lawson and son W. Lawson) and crystallized under Freundlich’s tutelage (who himself had studied with James Friskin and Edward Steuermann) -, is one steeped in rigorous technical and musical acumen. To round it up, nation-wide tours in 1952 and 1953, concert appearances in Canada, as well as recitals with contralto Ruth Kisch-Arndt in 1954 were also part of his playing regimen. Interestingly, Kisch-Arndt was known as “one of the foremost Lieder singers on the European continent (...) and one of the finest and most sensitive contemporary interpreters of the German lieder (...)”8 Unfortunately, his career as a concertist proved insufficient to sustain him financially, hence his taking the job of “classical score-reading tape editor” in Columbia Masterworks’ editing department sometime in late 19499. Journalist Adah Jenkins wrote of the rather interesting turn of event which led to Lampley’s hiring at the label:

“During his last year at Juilliard, Lampley was attending a ‘farewell’ supper when a complete stranger came over to his table and inquired if he would be interested in a position at CBS recording and upon his assent, gave him the address. Lampley was not too impressed and promptly forgot the matter. Sometime later he was seated in the square near Juilliard when the same stranger walked up and inquired as to his success in the job and asked him to try it. Feeling that Fate, in the person of this stranger, was with him, Mr. Lampley went immediately to CBS studios. After an audition, he got the position

in the studio (...)”10

Indeed, having seized what resulted in a rather fortuitous opportunity, Lampley joined the team of technicians co-led by Vin Liebler (one of the engineers responsible for the invention of the LP) and Howard Scott11. He could not have landed in better company. Scott, an esteemed classical music record producer, had just perfected a technique along with engineer Paul Gordon that allowed the transfer of short “takes” to long-playing masters12. Keen on banking on the latest invention (eg: the LP), Columbia desperately needed dexterous staffers, and Lampley was the right man for the job. He was to stay at the diskery until the fall of 1958, working on the recordings of Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Victor Borges, Robert Casadeus, Zeno Francescetti, Mahalia Jackson, the Metropolitan Opera, Liberace, Patachou, Johnny Mathis, Dave Brubeck, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Erroll Garner, Sir Thomas Beecham, Guiomar Novaes and J.J.Johnson among others. Having noticed either his career as a concert pianist, or more logically, his editing work at Masterworks, renowned Columbia producer Georges Avakian appointed him Assistant Recording Director, Pop Albums in May 195413, then A&R Music Editor in November of the same year14. He finally upped him to Recording Director, Pop Albums A&R in April 195715. A year later, Billboard magazine announced Columbia’s new executive structure that saw Lampley, Robert Prince and Ernie Altschuler now reporting to Irving Townsend (whom had just been promoted to Executive Director of Popular Albums)16. Though nothing is known of his rapport with Townsend - nor with Mitch Miller who by then reigned as the label’s head of A&R - Lampley had nevertheless found a mentor in Avakian (who was also responsible for bringing Prince and Teo Macero to Columbia.) As a matter of fact, it is rather interesting to note the similarities shared by those three executives.

This Little Light of Mine; Courtney Bryan; CDBaby.com"a collection of
re-compositions of Negro Spirituals with improvised performances by this
amazing ensemble of New Orleans musicians... These spirituals suggest
the themes of Justice, Rebellion, Redemption, and Hope."

Courtney Bryan

Composer Jeffrey Mumford adds that the February 3, 2013 concert at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. will also include a composition of Courtney Bryan:

BTW, on the Feb 3rd concert, there will also be a performance of a work
by former student of mine named Courtney Bryan, a young and very
talented African-American composer/pianist, currently completing her
Doctorate at Columbia University with George Lewis.

February 17, 2013Comment by email:This looks a very interesting programme. I believe that I have
heard one or two of these eclectic works on Mumford’s CD quite a while back. Kind regards, Mike[Michael S. Wright]

Eubie
Blake was a major American musician—a pianist, songwriter, and
composer for the black musical stage. His long and eventful life has
received extensive attention, including at least one full-length
biography. Thus this entry will be limited to commentary on the Blake
music presented on this recording. James Hubert Blake was a
Baltimore-born and raised musician, and as such, his style was quite
distinct from those of New York, Chicago, Saint Louis, or New
Orleans. Blake’s first contribution to Black Manhattan was by mail:
in 1914 he submitted his manuscript for “Fizz Water” (track
19) to a New York publisher. Its acceptance marked the first of
Blake’s nearly seventy years’ worth of publications.

“Fizz
Water” is a one-step, a type of syncopated dance music written in
2/4 time featuring a melody written in eighth notes with strong tied
and over-the-bar accents. Pitted
against this is a powerful alternating bass note-after beat “oompah”
accompaniment, also in eighth notes. This combination, played
together at a quick tempo results in a hard-charging, highly
extroverted sound. The one-step was all the rage in American
ballrooms from 1913 to about 1920, and “Fizz Water” is a
top-notch example, both of the form and of Blake’s unique style.
This is not a rag. But it is not jazz either. The one-step was its
own, distinct instrumental genre, and deserves to be appreciated as
such.

Blake
moved to New York in 1916 and joined James Reese Europe’s new Tempo
Club in Harlem.
Gaining the older musician’s confidence, he replaced Ford Dabney as
Europe’s partner in the society-orchestra business. At that time
Europe’s top “strategic initiative” was to put black musicals
back on Broadway. But this effort was interrupted by a larger
“strategic initiative”—the First World War—and ended by his
death not long afterwards.

The
fulfillment of Jim Europe’s Broadway dream then fell to Blake and
mutual friend Noble Sissle (1889–1975). Their 1921 show—Shuffle
Along—was a spectacular success, and for many decades has been
a glittering chapter in American theater mythology.

[William Grant Still (1895-1978) played the oboe in the pit band of Shuffle Along for a significant period of its production. Still is
profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works
List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
Recordings, sheet music and books of William Grant Still are
available at www.WilliamGrantStill.com,
which is operated by the composer's daughter Judith Anne Still]

by our woodwinds specialist, MARK PIPES, saxophonist, with
pianists Karen Hinkle and Naoko Maeda. Special appearance of alumnus,
David Griffiths, a prolific composer, accomplished pianist and powerful
baritone singer, and popular gospel artist, Monique Steele. Also
appearing are Kianna Kelly-Futch, treble singer and the Ottley Music School
Singers.

Sunday, January 20th, 2013, 3:30 pm

Martin Luther King Holiday Concert

SGI Auditorium
525 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica

Guido Lamell, conductor

Concert Program

Copland: Fanfare for the Common ManLee Hoiby: "I Have A Dream" for Baritone and OrchestraHailstork: Three Spirituals for OrchestraHailstork: Fanfare on Amazing GraceDvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

Dear Mr. Zick,
We had our concert in Ravensburg - it was a great success. The people came and we had no more chairs for them! They had to stand or sit in front of the windowboard!! It was great.

I send you the newspaper report of the concert - it's written that Sowande was the highlight. My daughter played the harp and I changed one thing: the violin solo was played by my wife on flute. I think it was so much more colourful.

Sorry - the newspaper report is only in German language. Thank you for everything. I wish you a Happy New Year.
Marcus Hartmann

The newspaper headlines were:

Chamber Orchestraoffersa thoroughly enjoyableconcert

RavensburgerSchwörsaalwas sold out-highlight of the concertwastheAfrican Suiteforstring orchestraandharp

Comment by email:

Great to hear this news. I hope that this work gets recorded again soon. Mike

It's been another busy holiday
season. I'm finally catching up on emails. As always, I'm grateful to
you and your work on the AfriClassical website for providing invaluable
information.

I have admired George Walker for many years. I was
honored to have participated in a masterclass at Levine School of
Music many years ago, when my string quartet performed his "Lyric for
Strings".

Equally admirable is the distinguished career of his
sister, Frances Walker- Slocum, a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of
Music. She was on the faculty at Oberlin from 1976, until her
retirement in 1991. Please see the following link from the Oberlin
College Archives:

Thank you very much, Bill. Best wishes for the New Year. George [George Walker]

Hi Bill, Thank you so much for posting this
additional information. Frances is still living in Oberlin and doing
well. She will be pleased to see this posting. 'Warm wishes to you and yours for a Happy New Year! Phyllis [Phyllis Fleming]

As 2012
draws to a close, we take this moment to share with you highlights from a
year of transformative musical events and to ask for your continuing
participation. Help us celebrate 2012 and build a successful 2013 by making a donation.

“I
had always dreamed of soloing with orchestras around the country and after
winning First Place in the junior division of the 2012 Sphinx Competition,
my
dreams started to become a reality. When I was first introduced to
Sphinx, I never could have imagined that it would grow to become
such an important part of my life. Sphinx has helped to make my hopes
and
dreams possible and has grown my aspirations for the future.” – Adé Williams,
violinist

Because
of your support, Adé has performed on the magnificent stage of Carnegie Hall,
shared her musical talent with students in schools across the nation and has
toured as the youngest member of the Sphinx Virtuosi, who were described as “exciting and virtually flawless” from The
Washington Post.

on Music Kitchen website or Checks may be sent to the following address:

Music Kitchen

c/o Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

3 West 65th Street

New York, NY 10023

Why?

Music Kitchen is making a difference in the lives of many people.

Read what the listeners are saying:

"Free-elated-inspired-magnificent-transformed-amazed-fulfilled

Music to me is life. It’s like the air I breathe. I love how
music can inspire, influence and transform us in so many amazing ways.
Music is beautiful, filled with emotion, experience. Music represents so
many facets, so many positive aspects of life. Listening to classical
music allows me to think clearly; [it’s] positive pedagogical.
Classical music enables me to freely express myself, it inspires me
to succeed in all my endeavors and help others as well... Listening to
such wonderful classic pieces expands horizons. Listening to music
transcends cultural boundaries and time. I love the fact that classical
music is just that, classical, meaning it seamlessly overlaps and adds
harmony to any music genre. Classical and jazz music (and music period)
demonstrates how resilient we are as people. Classical music survived
during times of war and unity. Classical music is soothing. It makes me
feel energized, confident, assured. I truly love how it can completely
change your mood and make you feel ecstatic. Music represents so many
positive aspects of life. Music is art. It’s language. Culture. Music
is love. It’s freedom, awakening. Music is universal. Music unites
us all. It expands our horizons. Listening to you perform tonight
reminds me of Nelson Mandela’s quote, where he mentions something to the
extent of never feeling afraid to be brilliant. It helps me be
cognizant of the fact that I am brilliant, resilient, loving yet strong,
a person with conviction.

When
I select which discs I wish to review I choose either music by
composers I know and admire, trying to choose music I don’t know or
don’t know well or I choose music by composers I don’t know at
all to try and extend my musical knowledge. Therefore, when I spotted
a disc in the list entitled Music by
African-American Composers for Clarinet & Piano
I was intrigued because I knew that it must contain music by
composers I didn’t know. In the event of the 10 composers here I
knew of only two, William Grant Still and Scott Joplin. Just as I was
stupefied to learn just how many women composers there were I have
also been similarly surprised to learn how many African-American
composers there are as conventional “wisdom” has led us to
believe that “serious” music is the province mainly of the white
western male. How refreshing it is, therefore, to have our
preconceptions challenged and often wrought asunder!

This disc should
certainly help in this process and, incidentally, apart perhaps from
Joplin’s contribution, no one would guess the background of any of
these composers solely by the music itself. So, ten composers and ten
works; I feel like a contestant on the long-running British radio
panel game “Just a minute” which requires talking for a minute on
a subject without hesitation, deviation or repetition because I’m
going to be hard pressed to avoid repetition. Why?, because the music
is all uniformly excellent and I don’t know enough superlatives to
choose different words each time. The disc opens with a short chamber
work Night Fantasy
by Dorothy Rudd Moore and it is one of the more “modern” works on
the disc. It is a wonderfully evocative work conjuring up the spirit
world as the clarinet first of all weaves a beautifully simple tune
in the first movement, Largo,
and then, with spiky rhythms, dances Puck-like in the second effusive
and sparkling Allegro.
The composer was yet another student of that doyen of music teachers
Nadia Boulanger.

The second short piece is taken from a larger
chamber work and was arranged by the composer for clarinet and piano.
It is very much in the spirit of the first work and could almost be a
third movement of that and is a wonderfully playful piece in which
both the clarinet and piano duet, almost mirroring each other in
every note. New Orleans native Batiste was principally known and
respected as an avant-garde jazz clarinettist who famously played
with the likes of Ornette Coleman and ‘Cannonball’ Adderley and
that will also be a surprise to any who may believe that jazz and
classical music composers cannot exist side by side. Clarence Cameron
White’s Basque Folk Song
is a wonderfully descriptive piece with a simple beauty that is
enchanting. A professor at Virginia State University for 40 years
Undine Smith Moore’s Introduction
and Allegro is another delightful
work that, like the others, though short in length, makes up for it
in the wealth of ideas within its brief span with a real dialogue
between the two instruments that end their conversation in the middle
of a “sentence”.

The beautiful piece Pastorale
from Scenes
for Nigeria is by Samuel Akpabot,
who, strictly speaking was not an ‘African-American’ composerbut
rather an African composer who spent a great deal of time pursuing a
career in the USA. Be that as it may this extract from a longer work
shows him to have been an extremely sensitive composer and this short
piece is very emotive and quite melancholy in its treatment of the
hymn like melody; a hymn to his native country. A complete change of
tempo comes next with Quincy Hilliard’s Coty
which is in three short movements, the first of which Daybreak,
is a frenetic race for both clarinet and piano to reach its end
before the other whilst the calm second entitled Sunset
is relaxed and lyrical. The piece
ends with Dance
which is a jerky sounding duo. William Grant Still is a name I'm sure
most listeners will be familiar with as he is probably the best known
of all African-American composers and his Romance
justifies that position as it is a
gorgeous song without words that allows the clarinet to fully exploit
its most attractive notes with a lovely piano accompaniment. Scott
Joplin, whose rag The Entertainer
made its composer famous through its use in the 1973 hit film The
Sting with Robert Redford, Paul
Newman and Robert Shaw and lead to its achieving hit status for its
arranger and huge interest in Joplin’s music (at last!), composed
Weeping Willow.
It is a charming two-step that convincingly describes a swaying
willow in that winning way that Joplin naturally possessed.

Soul
Bird by Todd Cochran is a
beautifully soulful tune that perfectly captures the nature of a bird
as the clarinet awakes and flies around against the background of the
piano before finally resuming its sleep. Todd Cochran is yet another
composer whose career has included a period in which he embraced jazz
and he played piano with the great jazz multi instrumentalist Rashaan
Roland Kirk, not that you’d guess from this lovely uncomplicated
tune. The final piece on the disc is a really attractive arrangement
of Amazing Grace
attributed to H. Stevenson about whom nothing is written in the notes
and about whom I could find nothing anywhere. The arrangement brings
out the best elements of the tune and allows you to hear it afresh in
a charming display of the attributes of the wonderful instrument that
the clarinet is. Marcus Eley has done a great service to
African-American composers and is a brilliantly talented advocate for
his instrument who successfully exploits everything a clarinet can do
while Lucerne DeSa is an extremely sympathetic partner and together
they have created a disc of pure unalloyed joy. I sincerely hope that
there will be more in the pipeline as he suggests this is only the
tip of a musical iceberg in terms of similar works by other unknown
composers.

I hope your holiday has
been a happy and safe one. Having survived the Mayan Apocalypse with
you, in the coming year I hope we can all appreciate life a little
more.

This last year has just
been wonderful for CutTime, especially ending as it did with
standing-room-only crowds for CutTime Players' Russian program at the
Detroit Institute of Arts, two breakthrough Classical Revolution Detroit (CRD) events, and a couple of private affairs that let me bid see you later to my DSO family.

This being my last week
(technically) as a DSO member, I hit the ground running an 8:30 per mile
pace and I've already dropped 20 lbs.! I'll be in New York City Jan. 9-21 attending the big APAP, ISPA and CMA
presenters' conferences for networking, workshops and booking
opportunities. Then I slingshot to Chicago to work with top freelancers
for a Simfonica concert in Battle Creek, MI Jan. 27.

I subbed with Grand
Rapids Symphony recently and a few musicians asked about doing another
Classical Revolution with CutTime music like we did in late July. So I
set it up for Jan. 30 when I return for a week of
subbing.

I also set up the next CRD event for Feb. 5, just before the end of a crowd-funding campaign at USA Projects
to professionalize and EXPAND the series. USA Projects is "making
America's finest artistic visions into realities" and is available only
to artists who have won major fellowships like the Kresge I won two
years ago. It offers online showcases and a crowd-funding platform with
consultations, a 75% success rate and 5% matching funds to its artists.

Like Kickstarter.com,
crowd-funding raises money and awareness for worthy projects over a set
period of time from anyone with internet access and a credit card.
Unlike Kickstarter, contributions through USA Projects are
tax-deductible up to the fair market value of any perks selected... at
least for 2012. The campaign must make its goal to fund the project by
the end of Feb. 6, 2013. Please make a generous gift
before the year end to ensure lowering your tax bill while connecting
new audiences with classical music!

The Classical
Revolution movement has proven to be an excellent vehicle for
developing effective engagement with curious music lovers and using
CutTime music in bars, clubs, restaurants and cafes where many already
comfortably discover other music they like. It is a social enterprise
serving a much wider segment of our communities with love, respect and
food for the soul. Who doesn't deserve the beauty and potential for
meaning with classical music that is warm and inclusive? Please help
CutTime and Classical Revolution Detroit make that difference. Here is the link to this project.

As
you can see, OPC is thriving despite difficult economic times. We
recognize that our successes are not possible without the support we
have gotten from the community. Our dedicated teachers, board
members, monthly subscribers, one-time donors, and volunteers are all
responsible for this. Thank you for your support!

We
have many more exciting activities in the works for 2013. At the top
of the list is providing opportunity for more young people who wish
to study music. We plan to increase our enrollment and with the
continued support of the community, we shall. Reciprocity is one of
our guiding principles. See below to learn what gifts you will
receive for your tax-deductible donation.